E D I T O R I A L

Shock and Awe
And so it has begun, the cartoon caricatures are locked in; the cowboy and the tyrant his father created, locked in an endgame that will trash more than the infrastructure of Iraq.

F E A T U R E S

Poetry: If I Were a Rich Man
Through a distortion in the time-space continuum, we have found a recording showing how people a few years into the future will deal with health care.

Interview: League of Nations
ICFTU general secretary Guy Ryder on the war, core labour standards and why Australia is an international pariah.

Industrial: 20/20 Hindsight
A retrospective analysis of the Accord is needed to help develop future strategies. Is it worth trying again? And if so, what would need to be different?

Organising: On The Buses
A new rank and file leadership team is standing up for the harried bus driver in the run-up to the NSW State Election

Unions: National Focus
A gaze around the country reveals some inspiring and innovative organising initiatives, a fruitful connection with young workers in South Australia and some typically robust industrial campaigns reports Noel Hester.

History: The Banner Room
On the eve of it�s refurbishment, Jim Marr ventures into one of Trades Hall�s best kept secrets; the room that houses relics of labour�s halcyon days.

International: The Slaughter Continues
Chilling new statistics from Colombia's main trade union confederation CUT: nine trade unionists assassinated in the first two months of this year.

Legal: A Legal Case For War?
Aaron Magner looks at the legal implications of the crusade of the Coalition of the Willing

Culture: Singing For The People
When there�s a struggle for social justice, when a war is brewing or rights are being eroded, the first ones to pen, paper and protest are often the folkwriters.

Review: The Hours
On the eve of International Women�s Day Tara de Boehmler follows the tale of three women who would rather choose death than a life devoid of personal choice.

Poetry: I Wanna Bomb Saddam
Scarier than Star Wars, the latest weapon to be deployed in the battle for Iraq is the Singing Dubya.

Satire: Diuretic Makes Warne's Excuses Look Thin
Australian cricketer Shane Warne today admitted that he was still feeling the after effects of the diuretic he tested positive to.

N E W S

Peace Marchers Warn Off Provocateurs

Monk Ignores Job Losses

Trade Warriors Turn to Water

Gap, Target Pay Sweatshop Dues

Firies Douse Insurance Blaze

Kennett Delivers $2m Gas Bill

Vials Sparks Security Scare

Buggers Hit Six

Rail Towns Win Jobs Reprieve

Telstra Dotty Over Witching Hour

Crow Eaters Choke on Waste

CSL Boss in Political Pickle

Lawyers Push Super Class Action

Fair Clothing Activists Take Stock

Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Workers Friend
Shock jock Alan Jones snubbed his Liberal mates to bucket the Cole Royal Commission and launch Jim Marr's book

The Locker Room
Boer Bore Boring
In the face of oppression Phil Doyle falls asleep in front of the TV

Guest Report
Dead Labor
The Hawke and Keating legacy is John Howard, Leonie Bronstein argues.

Seduction
Hands Off, Tony
John Della Bosca argues the NSW Industrial Relations System gives his State a competitive advantage.

Bosswatch
Groundhog Day
Another year, another round of corporate excess. Bosswatch returns from its summer slumber to find the same old dogs up to the same tricks.

L E T T E R S

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Righteous indignation

I noticed you publication of the 14/03/03 carried numerous letters opposing the righteous was against the Butcher of Baghdad , I thought I might offer a spontaneous dissenting view.

If a group of self centered people in Australia decide that they are discontent with the democratic process and , rather than combining themselves as a group to work together with the rest of the community , in a civilised and acceptable manner , they decide to opt for the easier , quicker - and for some more profitable avenue : the one of physical response terrorism".

This usually begins in a very mild form, one that can be tolerated as long as it is not used against oneself. It usually starts on a one to one basis, then as the tentacles reach out, it claims whole groups of victims, groups with whom the octopus of terrorism claims to have a common goal, and of course the victims agree --through fear! Visualize, if you can: The penalty imposed upon you or your family for not voting for the candidate, of some other person's choice, or for not contributing a portion of your income, to enable this cancer of society to expand. The options are not pleasant, at best the maiming of you and your family, and at worst the murder, of you or your family.

We all perhaps have different values, but it is my belief , that to live in fear without retaliation , then death would be the preferable option. This form of intimidation is only successful on a small scale. To succeed, the intimidation must extend to all who differ from the terrorist. This includes all people with whom the terrorist can find no common goal. A more concentrated effort is required here, as intimidation is not an effective persuader on these people. This is when the ugly head of terrorism, spawned from the putrid heap of human rejects, knocks on the doors of civilized people. We must agree that terrorists are the people that God and man have rejected. The result of terrorism is : After a period of toleration , in the hope that it will go away , the exercising of a basic human right , that is , the right of self-defense , in the pursuance of self-preservation. This is when the insane humor of the world, the world we have created, crudely and rudely intrudes. T!

hese people, who have decided after lengthy provocation, the killing of their families, the destruction of their homes and the pulling down of their established order, to defend their basic rights, are now portrayed as the aggressors! What irony the world displays! Consider these people who have done no wrong in the world, therefore no wrong to mankind. These people have no desire to star on the world stage; they only ask that they be allowed to live in peace, governed by their own democratically elected government. These people have instigated no violence, they have shown no aggression to anyone, other than a righteous and fervent defence of themselves and their families . These people have a right to live in peace, without the threat of violence or terrorism hanging over their heads because of their religious our cultural beliefs.

This terrorism must end! Only fools attempt this form of persuasion. Only fools tolerate this form of persuasion. Only fools PERMIT this form of persuasion. For at best, it will only achieve submission, which, like the dandelion plant, when the top is cut off, the root grows deeper and strengthens. At worst the terrorist will attract retaliation from his fellow man, from God and from the universal laws which state that every action creates an equal reaction. This will ensure the destruction, of the perpetrators of these crimes against all humanity, crimes which certain countries not only condone but actually embrace the perpetrators of these crimes and the apologists, for these criminals. Those that do not condemn these crimes against ALL humanity , must therefore condone them , and , in doing so will eventually fall prey to this breed of animal , this animal , that would control by violence , by murder , by intimidation and by terrorism.

It is state sponsored terrorism such as this that is subjecting the minorities in Iraq to an horrendous life style and cycle of institutionalized terror. The world is no longer made up of isolated villages populated by people perceived as Aliens by there neighbors. We are finally responsible for each other, and we are now 'our brother's keeper'

There can be no excuse for insular or the politics of economics preventing us from giving our assistance in freeing the people of Iraq from the bondage of terror imposed upon them by the Butcher of Baghdad.

The sooner that the democracies of this world act in a united manner, and for the benefit of mankind as a whole without consideration of their own avarice then the sooner than we can focus on feeding the starving populations in the many tin pot dictatorships that still proliferate our planet.

Are we destined to repeat the same mistakes until we finally destroy our planet and ourselves?

Older people will remember Munich and the 'Peace in Our Time' message delivered to the people of Britain , the lesson here was the same as today , a mad dog cannot be placated.

I am reminded of the letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to William Smith in 1787 in which he said:

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

We must act swiftly and with one purpose.

Tom Collins

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